Bottle-capping mechanism.



v T. L`. VALERIUS & 0. LARSN.

BOTTLE CAPFING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED Nov.2s, 1913.

Patented May18, 1915.

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BOTTLE CAPPING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 28, I9I3.

Patented May 18, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I I l I Ola/f Larsen, By am NUNIZFED srArEs PATENT OFFICE.

lons To THE OREAMERX PACKAGE M ILLINOIS, A OORPOnATION OF ILLINOIS.

'riinononn L. vALERIUs AND OLAF LARsEN, or roar ATKINSON, WISCONSIN,ASSIGN- ANUI-:AOITURINGL OOMPANY, or CHICAGO,

IsOTITLE-CAPPING uno'IIANIsM.

To all whom t may concern.'`

Be it yknown that we, THEODORE L. VALERIUS and OLAF LARsEN, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Fort Atkinson, in the county of Jeffersonand State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Bottle-Cappingl Mechanisms, of which the ication.

This invention relatesA to improvements in mechanisms for cappingbottles such as are used to contain milk and cream.

One of the objects of the inventionis to arrange the mechanism in such away that milk shall not be splashed upon the cap and the cap-feedingdevices.

Another of the objects of this invention is to arrange-the cap magazinein dentral position, if. e., in line with the cap-seating plunger andthe centeringbell, thereby making the mechanism easier to operate. Suchcentral location of the'- magazine is rendered possible by placing thecaps in the magazine with the printed side down, and providing means forturning the caps through a halfrevolution as they move into position tobe applied to the bottle. i

A further object of the invention is to provide means for effectivelycontrolling the cap during its passage from ther magazine to the mouthof the bottle.

A further object vis to provide a magazine that can b e convenientlyloaded with' bottle caps.

A further object is to embodythe mechanism in a simple, convenientV andreliable capping implement adapted to the purposes of milkmen and Otherswho do not require large-capacity machines. i

lVe have herein illustrated the invention as embodied in a hand-operatedimplement, Without intending thereby to limit the. invention to suchuse.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is an elevation of an implementembodying the features of our invention.' Fig. 2 is a horizontalsectional View taken in the plane of dotted line 2 2 of Fig. 6. Fig. 3is a top plan view of the implement. 'Fig'. 4 is a sectional view takenin the planeof dotted line 4 4 of Fig. 3l Fig. 4a illustrates a meansfor yieldingly holding the cap plunger in itsV elevated position'. F ig.5 is a perspective Specification ofA Letters Patent. l

following is a speciner surface of said Patented Mayas, 1915A.

.Application filed November 28, 1913.` Serial N o. 803,378.

tional View taken in the plane of dotted line 8 of Fig. 7 Fig. 9 is aView on dotted line 9 of Fig. 6.

The embodiment herein shown of the invention comprises a tubular bodyportion 1 vhaving anY outwardly flaring guide flange or centering bell 2at its lower end, the inbell being made tapering or conical in orderthat when the implement is applied to the mouth of the bottle theimplement shall be automatically centered.

Alined with the body portion 1 is a cap magazine 4. Preferably,the capmagazine consists of a tube rigidly secured to the body portion 1 in anysuitable manneras by means of the screw threads 5. (See Fig. 6.) vAseries of openings 6 may, if desired, be formed in the magazine 4 inorder that the user may note whether the lmagazine contains caps or not.s rlhe column of caps in the magazine 4 rests upon a shelf 7 (Fig. 9).The distance between the top of the shelf 7 and the horizontal plane ofthe ,shoulder 8` (F ig. 6) is substantially equal to the thickness of asinglecap. A device to be' later described pushes the bottom cap ofifrom the shelf 7, and through an opening in the `side ofthe body portion1, the cap being discharged onto a curved flanges which serve to guidethe cap in its movement. The guide 9 is pivoted` at its upper end to thebody portion l at 11. Said guide' extends 'through the space between`the flanges 10 and through an opening 12 in the side of the body portion1, and is norguide 9.Y 10 are vertical guard l the guide under theinfluence of the spring" 13. Then pushed off the shelf 7, thel advancingedge of the cap tilts downwardly by. gravity,

and on 'striking the guide 9, the

capv slides into the position indicated in Fig.

7, `the cap having in its movement beenv inverted.

The caps are discharged from the magazine, one by one, by means of aslide 15 v(Fig. 2) which is mounted for horizontal reciprocatingmovement in a guide 16, the slide being adapted to engage the edge ofthe lowermost cap and push it off the shelf 7.

For operating the implement there is provided a tubular handle oractuating sleeve 17 vertically movable upon the ma azine 4. Rigidlyattached to the handle 1 is a bracket 18 having a cam or inclined slot19 therein. The slide 15 is provided with a roller 20 which lies withinthe slot 19. Said slot is of such formation that when the handle 17 israised with reference to the body portion 1 and the magazine 4, theslide 15 will be projected inwardly to push the lowermost cap 0E theshelf 7 and onto the Y guide 9. The cap is forced into the seat providedfor it in the mouth of the bottle by means of a plunger 21 verticallyslidable within the body portion 1. A pin 22 eX- tends Withdrawablythrough the-plunger 21. The projecting ends of the pin 22 fit freelywithin openings in the lower ends of two bars or links 23 which arerigidly connected at their upper ends to the handle V17. Cotter pins 22apreventl displacement of the pin 22. The pin 22 extends through verticalslots 24 in the body portion, whereby the plunger 21, handle 17 andbracket 18 are held against aXial displacement. The lower end of thebracket 18 is secured or braced by means of a stud 25 which is attachedto the cap plunger 21 and extends through a slot 25a in the body portion1, said stud having an aperture through which a stud or lug 18a on thelower end of the bracket 18 extends. y

The parts ofthe implement are yieldingly held in the initial position bymeans of two spring fingers 26, Figs. 4a, 6, 8 and 9. The fingers 26 areXed at their lower ends to the body portion 1, and extend through theopenings`26a in said body portion/into position to contact with theplunger 21 when .the latter is in its upper position and lie belowshoulders21a on said plunger. The fingers l26 yield to allow the plungerto descend when pressure is applied to the hanl dle 17.

Milk-bottle caps are commonly put up for sale in pasteboard tubes. Thepresent implement has been designed so that the magazine may beconveniently filled with caps directly from the tubes. When the magazine4 is to be filled with caps from a tube, the implement is laid on itsside on the table, the ends of the paper tube are cut away, that end ofthe tube which shows the printed side of the caps is telescoped over themagazine 4, and a suitable rod is inserted into the other end of thetube and the column of caps pushed along until the foremost cap stopsagainst theshelf 7. The implement may then be placed in uprightposition, and is ready for use. A collar 4a on the magazine limits thedescent of the pasteboard,

tube on the magazine.

If, in filling the magazine with caps, any of the caps should assume aposition at an angle to the proper position, and the cap cannot bevshaken out, the magazine 4 may be removed from the remainder of theimplement and the misplaced cap removed from the magazine.

1f loose caps are not inclosed in tubes) are to be used with theimplement, such caps may be sorted into a loading tube, such as shown at28 in Fig. 5. The tube 28 may be telescoped with the magazine 4, and thecaps pushed from the tube 28 into the magazine by means of a rod orother suitable device.

1f desired, a weight 29 may be placed in the magazine, above the columnof caps, to assist in feeding the caps down in the magazine.

Assuming that the magazine 4 has been filled with caps arranged withtheprinted side down, and that the parts are in the position shown in F ig.7, the mode of use is asv follows: rlhe operator places the implementupon themouth of a filled bottleand depresses the handle 17 therebyforcing the plunger 21 againstj the cap lying upon the guide 9. Saidguide is thereby forced aside and the cap moves down through the bodyportion 1 and onto -the internal shoulder or seat in the mouth of thebottle. rThe operator then raises the handle 17. Assoon as the plunger`21 reaches the shelf 7, the remainder ofthe implement rises with thehandle 17, the implement being thus lifted off the bottle. n the upwardmovement of the handle 17, the slide 15 was moved inwardly to push thelowermost cap ofil the shelf 7 and onto the guide 9. The operator maynow apply the implement to the mouth of another bottle. lit will be seenthat bottles may be capped by simply applying the implement to a bottle,pushing the handle- 17 downwardly, raising the implement, applying it toanother bottle, and soon. There are no levers for the user to operate,but,

(that is to say, caps which` improperly positioned cap.

ilzo

We claim as our invention:

1. A bottle-capping mechanism comprising a centering bell, a bodyportion, and a cap magazine, all of said parts being axially alined,cap-feeding means including a guide extending laterally outside saidbody portion, cap-seating means, ano means for actuating said feedingand `seating means.

2. A bottle-capping mechanism comprising a body portion and a capmagazine axially alined, a cap-feeding device, a verticallymovablecap-seating plunger within said body portion, and means for actuatingthe cap-feeding device on the upstroke of the plunger.

3. A bottle-capping mechanism comprising a portion adapted to be appliedto the` mouth of a bottle, a cap-magazine, a capfeeding device all ofsaid parts being axially alined, and a yieldingly mounted guide fordirecting the cap discharged by the cap-` feeding device to properposition above the mouth of the bottle.

4. A bottle-capping implement comprising a tubular body portion adaptedto be applied to the mouth of a bottle, a tubular cap magazine alinedwith said body portion, a cap-feeding device, a cap-seating plunger inthe bodv portion, an actuating handle connected to the plunger, and anoperative connection between the` handle and the capi feeding device.

5. A bottle-capping mechanism comprising a body portion adapted tobeapplied to the mouth of a bottle, a cap magazine attached to saidb/ody portion in -vertical aline- Jnent therewith, a cap-feeding device,a capseating plunger reciprocable vertically in said body portion, and asingle device for actuating said cap-feeding device and said cap-seatingplunger.

6. A bottle-capping implement comprising a -body portiolf, a capmagazine attachedto said body portion in vertical alinement therewith, acap-'seating plunger in said body portion, cap-feeding means, and hand-Ahold means reciprocable vertically for actuating the :cap-feedingmeansand the capseating plunger.

7. A bottle-capping implement comprising a body portion, a cap magazineattached to said body portion and axially alined therewith, acap-'seating plunger reciprocable vertically in` said body'portion,cap-feedingmeans, hand-hold means vreciprocable vertically for actuatingthe cap-.feeding means and the capseating plunger, and means foryieldingly locking the actuating member in r 'its upper position. d

" feeding slide reciprocable 8. A bottle-capping implement comprising abody portion adapted to be applied to tlie mouth of a bottle, a capmagazine attached to said body portion, a cap-feeding device, acap-seating plunger reciprocable 'within said body portion, a-sleeveadapted vice, a cap-seating plunger reciprocable within said bodyportion, a member reciprocable longitudinally of said cap magazine, andactuating connections between said member and said 'cap-feeding deviceand said cap-seating plunger.

10. A bottle-capping mechanism comprising a body portion adapted to beapplied to the mouth of a bottle, a cap magazine attached to said bodyportion, asap-supporting shelf below said cap magazine, acaptransversely of the cap magazine and above said shelf, means arrangedto receive caps from the cap-feedingslide and guide them into properposition in the body portion, seating plunger, an actuating devicereciprocable longitudinally of the mechanism, a member rigidly attachedto said actuating device', the secondy mentioned member having acam-slot therein, a device attached to said slide, extending into saidcam-slot, and a' connection between said actuating device and saidcap-seating plunger.

1l. In a bottle-capping mechanism, a body portion, a cap magazine alinedtherewith, a device for feeding caps from said magazine, a pivoted guidearranged to guide caps into proper position in the body 'p0rtion, acap-seating plunger, said guide being arranged to yield laterally toallow the plunger and the cap to pass, and means for actuatingsaidcap-feeding ,device and said plunger. l e

12. In a bottle-capping mechanism, a body portion having an open side, acap magazine attached to said body portion, a device for feeding thecaps from said magazine, a

guide attachedv at its upper end to a .cap-

caps discharged from the magazine into proper position inthe bodyportion, a spring tion,.a cap-seating plunger,

said guide being arranged to yield laterally to allow the cap tending tohold the guide in the body porandthe plunger to descend, and means foractuating said cap-feeding device and said plunger. 13. In abottle-capping mechanism, a tubular body portion, a conical Icenteringsaid body portion, 'a curved guide attached at its upper end to saidbody portion', the

lower end of said guide extending through the open side of the bodyportion, a cap-supporting shelf in the body portion atv the lower endyof the magazine, a cap-feeding' 15 slide reciprocable 'horizontallyabove said shelf., 'a' .cap-seating plunger reciprocable vertically insaid body portion, a lateral projection on the plunger extending througha vertical .slot in said body portion, a sleeve surrounding the capmagazine, a connection between said sleeve and said projection, andanactuating connection between said slide and said first mentionedconnection.

In testimony whereof we ax our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

THEODORE L. VALERIUS OLAF LARSEN. Witnesses: J. F. SQHREINER,

HUBERT E. LEMKE.

